Monday, March 17, 2014

The Society of the Spectacle

THE SOCIETY OF THE
SPECTACLE

THE SOCIETY OF THE SPECTACLE by Guy Debord
Newly translated and annotated by Ken Knabb
150 pages. $15.00

Guy Debord was the most influential figure in the Situationist International,
the notorious group that helped trigger the May 1968 revolt in France. His
book "The Society of the Spectacle," originally published in Paris in 1967, has been
translated into more than twenty other languages and is arguably the most
important radical book of the twentieth century. This is the first edition in
any language to include extensive annotations, clarifying the historical
allusions and revealing the sources of Debord's
"détournements."

Contrary to popular misconceptions, Debord's book is neither an ivory tower "philosophical"
discourse nor a mere expression of "protest." It is a carefully
considered effort to clarify the most fundamental tendencies and contradictions
of the society in which we find ourselves. This makes it more of a challenge,
but it is also why it remains so pertinent nearly half a century after its
original publication while countless other social theories and intellectual
fads have come and gone.

It has, in fact, become even more pertinent than ever, because the spectacle has
become more all-pervading than ever -- to the point that it is almost universally
taken for granted. Most people today have scarcely any awareness of
pre-spectacle history, let alone of anti-spectacle possibilities. As Debord
noted in his follow-up work, "Comments on the Society of the Spectacle"
(1988), "spectacular domination has succeeded in raising an entire
generation molded to its laws."

About Me

I am a Visiting Fellow in the College of Social Science at the University of Lincoln. I was previously a Visiting Scholar in the Department of Education at Anglia Ruskin University (2014-15). Prior to that, I was previously a Senior Lecturer in Education Studies at the University of Northampton. My interests are in Marxist educational theory, the future of the human and social time. The Rikowski family web site, The Flow of Ideas can be found at: http://www.flowideas.co.uk,
My Wordpress blog, 'All that is Solid for Glenn Rikowski' is at: http://rikowski.wordpress.com,
Glenn Rikowski @ Academia: http://independent.academia.edu/GlennRikowski